ATP Acapulco: Nick Kyrgios downs Alexander Zverev to complete perfect week
Heading to Acapulco with a mediocre 2-3 score and still troubled with that knee injury, Nick Kyrgios has found an extra gear that pushed him towards the title, the second on the ATP 500 level and the biggest one considering the names of his rivals. After saving three match points against Rafael Nadal and wins over Stan Wawrinka and John Isner, the Aussie took down the world no. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 30 minutes to celebrate the title and almost crack the top-30 again. This was their seventh meeting and the fourth win for Nick who fought off seven out of eight break points to limit the damage in his games and dominate on the rival's second serve that brought him three breaks and the triumph.
They both had more winners than unforced errors although the pumped Aussie delivered the stronger performance in the crucial points to cross the finish line first and lift the much-needed trophy after a terrible 12 or 13 months he had enjoyed. Zverev played well during the entire week and was the favorite today, knowing it will not be easy to beat Nick after everything he had been through this week and one step away from the title. Sascha sprayed a forehand error in the fourth game to suffer a break and Kyrgios fired two good serves to fend off break points in game five, saving another one in game seven with a perfect drop shot to go 5-2 up.
The Aussie sealed the opening set with a forehand winner in game nine and looked determined to repeat that in set number two where the pressure was on the German. Sascha drifted further and further away from the finish line when he gave the serve away at the beginning of the second set and a weak backhand that landed wide, only to break back in the next game when Nick hit a double fault to lose the advantage. Kyrgios stayed calm in game four, saving a couple of break points and releasing the final punch in the following game when he broke Sascha from 40-0 down with a forehand winner to gain the crucial advantage. Nick saved the last break point with a great serve at 3-2 and he never looked back, wrapping up the victory with four service winners in game ten to silence the critics and grab his second ATP 500 crown.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2NDsiyI
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